Mercedes S-class review

The Mercedes-Benz S-class is one of the most advanced and pampering cars money can buy

Think of a chauffeur-driven luxury saloon, and chances are you'll picture the Mercedes S-class.

It’s the most prestigious Mercedes money can buy, and it’s always combined cutting-edge technology with some of the highest standards of quality and comfort around.

This latest model maintains that tradition, offering a host of new features and one of the best interiors you'll find in any car.

Space 9/10

Loads of room, especially in L form

The S-class is Mercedes' biggest saloon, providing lots of passenger space, both up front and in the back. However, we'd still recommend you consider the slightly stretched L version if you usually let a chauffeur do the driving for you; the L offers even more rear legroom and the option of two individual reclining rear seats in place of the standard three-person seat.

Another option that's worth considering is the Rear Seat Reclining Package, which lets you fold the front passenger's seat right out of the way. By contrast, we'd advise against specifying a fridge - it really is possible - because this takes a big chunk out of the boot.

Even without it the S-class's boot capacity isn't class leading (you get more room for luggage in Audi's A8), but you'll have no trouble fitting in a large suitcase or a couple of sets of golf clubs.

No matter how you spec the S-class, it features huge door bins and a deep storage space between the front seats.

Comfort 10/10

Smooth and quiet, though 18-inch wheels are best

The S-class can be specified with a clever suspension system called Magic Body Control, which reads the road ahead and actively pulls the wheels up and down to absorb each bump as the car rolls over it. It’s effective, but is only available on the most expensive petrol-engined models.

Lesser versions of the S-class have to 'make do' with a suspension system that uses air to cushion the ride. This is still very comfortable, although it works best when combined with the 18-inch wheels that you get with the entry-level SE Line specification. The alternative is the AMG Line, with 19-inch wheels and lower profile tyres that don't absorb bumps quite as well as we’d like.

We’d also recommend you steer clear of the S300 Bluetec Hybrid, because the diesel engine in this model gets rather noisy when you accelerate hard. By contrast, you barely hear the other engines, and wind and road noise are blissfully muted whichever S-class you choose.

The seats manage to be firm and supportive, yet wonderfully comfortable. And a massage function is available as an option.

Book a free Mercedes S-class home test drive

Dashboard layout 8/10

Uncluttered and generally easy to use, though there are niggles

The interior of the S-class is trimmed with the finest leathers and woods, but its dashboard also has a surprisingly clean and uncluttered design. There’s a neatly-styled row of metal switches, a few air vents, and a smattering of buttons ahead of the central arm rest – and that’s about it.

That’s because many of the car’s more in-depth functions are controlled via a rotary scroll dial and two massive display screens; one of these takes the place of the traditional analogue instruments, while the other deals with audio, ventilation, navigation, and other such systems.

The sheer size of the screens combines with a logical menu layout to make the system fairly simple to use, although the sheer number of functions can make it a bit of a challenge to find what you're looking for at times.

There are a couple of other niggles, too. Firstly, the cruise control stalk on the steering column is far too near the main stalk, which operates the indicators and wipers. Often, you find yourself pushing one when you’re going for the other.

What’s more, the shape of the central arm rest – and its integrated telephone keypad – forces you to crane your neck to see the switches hidden on the other side.

Easy to drive 9/10

Remarkably effortless given its size

It might not look it, but the Mercedes S-class is a real pussycat to drive. Every model comes with an automatic gearbox, making pulling away a breeze, and each engine – with the exception of the 2.1-litre diesel in the S300 Bluetech Hybrid – offers plenty of get-up-and-go.

In addition, the major controls are light and easy to operate, and every model comes with front and rear parking sensors, as well as a reversing camera. While this is a big car, then, it’s not difficult to manoeuvre or park.

The only downside is that the visibility in the S-class isn’t as good as it could be. Thick chunks of bodywork between the windows and around the door mirrors can block your view at times.

Fun to drive 7/10

Not that involving, but corners with composure

Throw the S-class into a corner, and you’ll be surprised by how quickly it turns. That’s because the variable power steering system recognises the situation and automatically sharpens up its response.

It’s clever, and makes this massive Merc impressively agile, although it also make it less predictable, which can cause you to turn in sooner than you were intending.

With the suspension in ‘comfort’ mode, you can feel the S-class lean over quite a long way in bends, but switch to 'sport' and it stays a lot more composed. What’s more, there's loads of grip, meaning you can actually carry quite a bit of speed.

As good as the S-class is, both the JaguarXJ and Porsche Panamera are more involving, although we're still to drive the sportier AMG versions of the S-class; these come with thumping V8 and V12 engines that promise plenty of excitement.

Reliability 9/10

Should be dependable

It’s too early to be sure how reliable this generation of S-class will be. However, Mercedes has a good reputation for durability, and its cars have performed well in the JD Power customer satisfaction survey in recent years.

The one note of caution we’d sound is that Mercedes doesn’t score very well in the Warranty Direct Reliability Index, which is based on warranty claims. That suggests high repair costs.

Fuel economy 8/10

Class-leading fuel consumption

Put simply, the S-class is the most efficient luxury saloon you can buy. Like-for-like, no rival can match its fuel economy figures.

Mercedes offers a diesel hybrid S-class – unique among its rivals – that averages more than 60mpg in Government tests. And the petrol hybrid and regular diesel versions are also very frugal.

Affordability 6/10

The cheapest versions look the best value

It won’t surprise you to learn that the S-class isn’t a cheap car to buy. But the base version doesn’t seem exorbitantly priced, either. True it costs a little more than some rivals, but then it also comes better equipped.

Sadly, as you move up the range, it's harder to make a financial case for the S-class; many like-for-like versions of the BMW 7 Series and Jaguar XJ offer more equipment for less cash.

And at the very top of the S-class tree, you certainly have to stump up for the extra gizmos you get – the S600 AMG Line is undoubtedly more luxurious than its rivals, but it should be, as it costs an awful lot more. It isn’t the most expensive S-class, though; that honour falls to the immensely powerful S65 AMG, which will set you back a truly eye-watering sum.

More positively, the S-class holds its value better than most luxury saloons, which keeps leasing rates competitive.

Safety 10/10

Probably one of the safest cars on the road

The Mercedes S-class helped pioneer everything from padded door trim to stability control, so it's only natural that this latest version comes packed with safety equipment.

Front and rear passenger side airbags are standard across the range, along with curtain airbags that run along the windows, and the traditional forward-facing airbags for the two front seats; that’s more than most rivals offer.

There’s also a system that predicts accidents so it can close the windows and tighten your seltbelt before impact, while another automatically applies the brakes if it senses an imminent low-speed collision with another car or a pedestrian.

Top-spec models even come with infra-red headlamps and a night vision camera to help you spot obstacles in the dark.

All of which means that, while the S-class hasn’t yet been subjected to the industry benchmark Euro NCAP safety tests, it should prove to be one of the safest cars around.

To this the AMG Line adds sportier-looking bumpers, a smattering of aluminium effect trim and bigger wheels.

L versions of each also have heated rear seats, memory front seats and ambient interior lighting that you can change the colour of.

Meanwhile, the pricey S600 AMG Line L gets all sorts of extras, including two TV screens for the rear seats, a high-end sound system, the Magic Body Control suspension system, reclining rear seats, massage seats all round, and even heated arm rests.

Every version of the S-classes has metallic paint as standard, whereas some charge you a hefty sum to add this.

Our favourite version

The verdict 9/10

The Mercedes S-Class is the best luxury car on sale today. It’s quieter, classier and more comfortable than rivals, and comes bristling with technology, plus the diesel version does all this while using remarkably little fuel.